Thu not only will learn what stocks of material are on hand or readily available, also he may gain access to dark corners where odd pieces, or "shorts," have 1 forgotten, to be disposed of at reduced prices. Furniture that is to be stained and polished or finished in natural tones in all probability be constructed from one of the hardwoods; painted or lacqu< furniture can be assembled from softwood. The term "hardwood" is not usei describe the physical hardness of the wood; it refers to the botanical grouj broadleaved or deciduous trees, while softwood comprises the nondeciduous coni with their needlelike leaves. Many hardwoods are softer than the average ? wood, and vice versa. In general, it may be considered that the harder the w> the heavier and stronger it will be. Another general classification used that is of importance to furniturecabinetmakers is that of the grain in wood, which will determine the most suit method or type of finish to be applied. Technically, the grain of the woo determined by the direction, size, arrangement, or quality of the fibers (cells wood structure. Closegrained wood has narrow and somewhat inconspicuous ri the reverse being true in coarsegrained woods. Painters and finishers, howe are more concerned with the texture caused by the tubelike vessels whose open on the surface of a cut piece of wood are referred to as "pores." Woods with 1; pores, such as oak, ash, chestnut, and walnut, are known as "opengrained" wo They must have their pores closed with a filler before paints or finishes can be satisfactorily applied. Nonporous woods (with small pores) are termed "closegrained." In many species of wood each annual ring of growth (Figure i.i) is divided with more or less distinctness mto an outer layer of summer wood and an inner layer of spring wood cells, because trees grow more rapidly in the F ringtime. the spring wood is usually ter. softer, and weaker than the wood, which is composed oi cells that have been added more slowly. ji species of trees such as the maples and gums, however, there is no appr difference between the spring and summer woods. SAPWOOO SUMMERW SPR1N& W< HEART WO ANNUAL RI i.i. Cross section of tree showing grc rines. . Under the soft, moist inner bark of a log is the microscopic Cambian layer, which forms wood and bark cells. Next comes the lightcolored series of active spring and summer woods called the "sapwood," because it carries the sap from the roots to the leaves. The heartwood, extending inward to the soft pith at the structural center of the log, consists of inactive tissue formed by a gradual change in the sapwood. Medullary rays connect the various layers for the storage and transference of food. Fig. 1.2. Lumber shrinkage. Although inactive, it is the heartwood that serves to give strength to the tree trunk. The living sapwood, however, is a mature wood which, when dry, exhibits no consistent difference in weight or strength from the heartwood, except in a few species.